cactus food option

vegas dad

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henderson nevada
hello:

I am new to the tortoise world. I have a baby tortoise that I rescued. I have been giving him dandelion greens, mixed greens, spinach (some times) and romaine. He/she (?) likes them all. The store I go to had cactus for sale and I bought some of that. I figured that is what they eat in the wild so give it a go. Is this a good idea? They are the flat leaf type that are grown in Mexico. I see the same plant in the deserts around Vegas all the time.

Thanks all. for any advice
 

Toddrickfl1

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hello:

I am new to the tortoise world. I have a baby tortoise that I rescued. I have been giving him dandelion greens, mixed greens, spinach (some times) and romaine. He/she (?) likes them all. The store I go to had cactus for sale and I bought some of that. I figured that is what they eat in the wild so give it a go. Is this a good idea? They are the flat leaf type that are grown in Mexico. I see the same plant in the deserts around Vegas all the time.

Thanks all. for any advice
Yes it's called Opuntia, and it's a great food.
 

Tom

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What species have you got? I'm going to guess a desert tortoise?

Best to not use store bought produce, but if you must, favor endive and escarole. Add in some arugula, dandelion greens, cilantro, and lots of other stuff for variety.

The opuntia pads are excellent tortoise food. You can feed that to them 3-4 times a week, and the pads last for months with good ventilation. Don't worry about the spines or tiny irritating glochids. Those don't harm the torts in any way, even though they drive us crazy.

Here is a list of good foods. Some grass is good for DTs, but no need to emphasize it as much as for a sulcata.
https://tortoiseforum.org/threads/for-those-who-have-a-young-sulcata.76744/
 

MoreCowbellAz

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I've only been trying for a week, but I can't get my little guy DT to have anything to do with opuntia pads, either diced into smallish chunks or finely chopped. I was really exited to give it to him but he could not be less interested so far. Wish he would be, we have prickly pads growing all over my yard, and one of them is even spineless (just has the fine little stickers). I'm waiting for new pads to sprout, I'll see if he'll eat them then. Maybe the larger pads are still too tough for him or something.

I do love giving him food that's already growing in my yard. I've got mulberry (going out of season however), Hibiscus, grape leaves, dandelion, roses, burmuda grass, prickly pear, aloe, honeysuckle, and yellow bells. Right now all I'm giving him from the store is endive (which he LOVES), some mustard greens sometimes, and I bought a container of live wheat grass which is among his favorites.

But darn it I want him to take to that opuntia/prickly pear!
 

bioteach

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Nov 11, 2010
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hello:

I am new to the tortoise world. I have a baby tortoise that I rescued. I have been giving him dandelion greens, mixed greens, spinach (some times) and romaine. He/she (?) likes them all. The store I go to had cactus for sale and I bought some of that. I figured that is what they eat in the wild so give it a go. Is this a good idea? They are the flat leaf type that are grown in Mexico. I see the same plant in the deserts around Vegas all the time.

Thanks all. for any advice
It sounds as though you are doing all that you can for your new little friend. The romaine is highly discouraged because it is mostly water, has little nutrition and lacks fiber. If you can get some bermuda grass from a local feed supply or nursery that would be great. Baby tortoises might have some difficulty with cactus. We have an adult and she really doesn't care for cactus even though we have it in abundance. If you to to AZ Game and Fish they have a great desert tortoise care sheet that you can download that has many excellent options. Enjoy your tortoise - they are a great addition to the family.
 

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